Virat Kohli equalled former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin's record after India's win over Bangladesh in their first Champions Trophy encounter in Dubai on Wednesday.
India won the match courtesy of a brilliant unbeaten century from Shubman Gill who scored his seventh ODI ton. He ended unbeaten on 101 to see India home. Gill first added a 69-run stand with skipper Rohit Sharma (41 off 36) to lay the platform for India's chase.
Virat Kohli scored 22, Shreyas Iyer 15 and Axar Patel just 8 at number five as this time the experiment with the left-hander did not pay off. KL Rahul then scored an unbeaten 41 off 47 deliveries at number six and added an unbeaten 87-run stand to see India through to victory.
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Virat Kohli- India's Active Cricketer With Most Catches
Meanwhile, amid all of this , Virat Kohli equalled Mohammed Azharuddin's record of the most catches as an outfielder by an Indian cricketer. Kohli equalled Azhar's tally of 156 catches as he took two catches against Bangladesh. His first catch was to dismiss the Bangladesh skipper Nazmul Hossain Shanto fielding at cover point. His next catch was to dismiss Jaker Ali who added a 154-run stand with Towhid Hridoy who scored his maiden ODI century. Bangladesh were struggling at 35/4 when Jaker joined hands with Hridoy.
Kohli took a crucial catch at long-on to equal the record of the former India captain off the bowling off Mohammed Shami. Shami on his return for India picked up a fifer and also now has the most wickets by an Indian bowler in ICC events.
Kohli has now taken the most catches as an outfielder among Indian cricketers alongside Azhar. Sachin Tendulkar with 140, Rahul Dravid with 124 and Suresh Raina with 102 are the other Indian players with over 100 catches as an outfielder. Virat is also India's only active cricketer with most catches in ODI cricket.
Most catches for India in ODIs:
Virat Kohli 156*
Mohammad Azharuddin 156
Sachin Tendulkar 140
Rahul Dravid 124
Suresh Raina 102
Overall in international cricket, former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene has the most number of catches as an outfielder with 218 catches. Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting is next with 160 catches while Kohli and Azhar are just behind the former captains.
After Bangladesh, India takes on Pakistan in their next Champions Trophy 2025 match on Sunday, February 23.
Also Read: Shubman Gill leads India to a victory: Bangladesh vs India Champions Trophy 2025
